Finding the Light
by Blue0203
Summary: Lucy, for the life of her, could absolutely not remember what had happened. She could remember friends, like Erza and Gray, her family: mother, father, and Fairy Tail. What she could not remember was: who was this pink-haired idiot trying to help her? Why was he so desperate and depressed? And during all this, the pink-haired idiot finds his father. A recent enemy appears too.
1. Chapter 1: His Return

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**THIS IS A SEQUEL FOR "LET HER GO"! I SUGGEST YOU READ THAT BEFORE READING THIS!**

**I'm baaaaccckkk! Man, I couldn't wait to post this! So exciting!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>(Once again, this is a sequel! Read "Let Her Go" first!)<p>

GUILD HALL

Everything was settling down at the guild. Levy had woken up and Wendy and Porlyusica were helping Lucy in the infirmary. Master had returned and was told what happened. He now sat in silence, looking over the mages he thought of as children. Everyone was starting to quiet down, sitting at the tables in the guild.

"I hope Lucy is ok..." Mira trailed off, tears in her eyes.

"Lu-chan..." Levy sighed, staring up the stairs to the infirmary.

Footsteps were heard throughout the silence of the guild as Wendy started to walk down. She was staring at the ground, looking lost in thought. She took each step slowly, almost hesitant to come down. "Is something wrong, Wendy?" Mira asked in a worried tone. Wendy gulped, wondering how to break this. How to prevent him from seeing her.

Once he gets to the guild, he will run off to Lucy. That will be the first thing he tries. No one will be able to stop him, except maybe Erza or Mira. It's very hard to keep a dragon from it's own mate. He is, of course, Natsu Dragneel. The Fire Dragon Slayer. Short tempered. Energetic. Never giving up. Especially for Lucy. He would do anything for Lucy. He would even give his life for her.

Wendy bit her lip, thinking it through. Maybe it would be better for the master to tell everyone. She walked over to him and bent down. She cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered "We have to keep Natsu away from Lucy. Can you tell everyone?"

Master turned to look at her with wide eyes. He could not believe what Wendy had just told him. Nonetheless, he nodded, agreeing to tell everyone. He stands up and goes to the second level of the guild, gaining everyone's attention. He stares in silence for a bit, gazing into a few eyes.

"We have to keep Natsu away from Lucy." He states simply after thinking about it for a bit.

Everyone stared in silence. "And how are we supposed to do that?" Levy asked curiously. Everyone started talking at once, shouting out ideas but none was heard throughout the noise.

"SILENCE!" Master shouted, quieting the guild.

"Mira, you guard Lucy's room until Erza gets here." Master commanded. Mira nodded and hurried to the infirmary, taking her place in front of the door. "Everyone else is going to have to distract him when he comes in so we can explain it to Gray, Gajeel, and Erza."

Right as the master finished that statement, the guild doors were kicked open. A voice rang out through the guild. It was someone who they had hoped would take longer to come back.

"WE'RE BACK!" Natsu Dragneel shouted.

Master winced, wishing that the return of Natsu could have waited for a little longer. He walked over to Freed, never taking his eyes off of Natsu. "Freed!" He hissed at the rune mage. Freed glanced at the Master in the corner of his eye so he didn't draw attention to himself. "Hurry up and go create a run barrier not letting Natsu into Lucy's room! NOW!" Master said urgently, glancing between Freed and Natsu. Freed nodded, and rushed off up that stairs to the infirmary. Natsu had started to make his way toward the infirmary, set on seeing Lucy. While Master had told Freed what to do, someone else had gone to explain things to Gray, Erza, and Gajeel alone with the exceeds.

Levy saw the Master still getting things ready, so she went to explain to the others. She had to wait until Natsu was far enough away. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Natsu had already started making his way to Lucy. This was not going to go well. "Erza! Gajeel! Lily! Gray!" She called, motioning for them to come to her. They all glanced toward the infirmary, wanting to go see Lucy, but went against their wishes and walked over to Levy.

"What, Shrimp?" Gajeel asked gruffly with his arms over his chest. Levy bit her lip, wondering how to tell them. Finally, she gave up and decided to tell them straight out.

"We have to keep Natsu away from Lucy."

They all stared at her deadpanned. Then, Gray started laughing. Not chuckling, it was the awkward laugh everyone got once they realized a joke was told. A joke that was unbelievable. "Good one, Levy." Gray said. The others had feebly smiled when Gray started to laugh.

"It... It wasn't a joke." Levy said in all seriousness. They all stopped laughing or smiling and just stared at her.

"Are you serious, Levy?" Gajeel asked, being serious as well. He wasn't sure, but he had to be serious just in case. Levy nodded.

"Keep Natsu away from Lucy." Erza muttered. "You realize what that's asking, right?" Levy nodded.

"Oh man! And we just finished our fight with the Salamander before we came." Gajeel groaned out. Levy gasped. "Is that why you all have wounds?" She asked, checking them over. Erza had a small bandage above her left eye and she walked with a limp, het left foot must have hurt. Gray had medical tape around his head, blood almost bleeding through. It would need to be changed soon. Gajeel had his shoulder wrapped and winced when it was shifted. He also had a black eye and burns were all over his body.

"Geez, Gajeel. Seems like you got hurt the most." Levy observed. After that sentence, a loud bang was heard and Natsu warm laughter rang throughout the guild.

"You wanna fight, Elfman?" Natsu teased, getting into a fighting stance. Elfman smirked, glad to have distracted him. "Yeah, I do! And I'm gonna be-!" Elfan got cut off by Natsu. "Oh wait! Rose! Get in here!" He called out. Everyone's attention turned towards the doors when a girl walked in. She looked to be Natsu's or Lucy's age. Her hair was in two pig tails, just like Lucy would wear sometimes, except her hair is longer and is black instead of blonde. She wore the same kind of outfit Lucy would wear, too. A crop top with a short skirt. Her eyes were a bright blue and she had a nervous smile on her face.

"Hi. I'm Rose." She said, raising a hand to wave. Everyone stared in silence before breaking out in cheers.

"Alright, a new member!"

"I wannna be her friend!"

"Let's go introduce ourselves!"

All kinds of statements were being thrown out into the guild. Rose started to relax as everyone started to accept her. "See? I told you that they would accept you!" Natsu cried, pointing at Rose. She had been nervous the whole walk there, spitting out excuses as to why she shouldn't join. Them not accepting her was one. Rose smiled at him. "Yes, you did."

"So, what magic do you use, Rose?" A member with brown hair and only wore a bra and pants asked, swinging her arm around Rose's shoulder.

The once quiet guild had become it's usual noisy madhouse once again. Although, no one forgot about Lucy. They were trying to distract Natsu long enough for Freed to put up the runes to keep him out.

* * *

><p>OUTSIDE THE INFIRMARY<p>

"That shout do it." Freed sighed, bringing his arms down after finishing the runes. He had just completed the one that would keep him out of the infirmary, away from Lucy.

"I don't like this." Mira sighed, pouting a little. She had been against keeping Natsu away the whole time, but didn't want to go against the Master openly.

"I know, but it's needed. Lucy needs to heal or he would freak out even worse." Freed said, glancing at her from between his green locks that were in front of his eyes. Mira was hugging herself, feeling bad for doing this. She glanced up at him, wonder in her eyes. "I wonder..." Mira trailed off, not knowing which would have the worse reaction.

Keeping a dragon away from his mate or a dragon's mate dying.

They both seemed pretty bad to the take over mage.

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><p>SECRET LOCATION<p>

"Master, what would you have us do?" A man asked, bowing to the mage who sat in the chair in front of him. There was one person on each side of the bowing mage. They were in a dark room, shadows covering the Masters face. The one who inquired what to do seemed to be the leader of the three mages in front of the Master.

"There is a mage I need for my plan. She's in Fairy Tail." The Master started, voice husky and gruff.

"Who?" The mage on the left asked.

"Let me finished!" The Master shouted. The mage who questioned him nodded quickly, fearing for his life.

"She's important to all of them, especially the Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel. She had blonde hair, brown eyes, and has a pink Fairy Tail mark on the back of her right hand. I need you to retrieve her for me." The Master explained. The mage on the right looked up.

"Forgive me for asking, but what is the mage's name?" The mage asked, looking up with curiosity shining in their eyes.

"Lucy Heartfilia."

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><p>GUILD HALL<p>

Rose pretty much settled in right away. When she revealed her magic as being Earth Dragon Slayer Magic, the whole guild shouted with shock.

"Another one?!" Everyone shouted. Rose looked at them confused.

"You see, Natsu is the Fire Dragon Slayer. Wendy is the Wind Dragon Slayer. Gajeel is the Iron Dragon Slayer. Laxus is the Lightning Dragon Slayer. With you, that makes five Dragon Slayers in our guild." Makao explained. Rose's eyes widened. "Woah. And here I thought it was rare magic." Rose said, a little jokingly, a little serious. Makao laughed, slapping her on the back. "You'll fit right in." He said and walked away to have a beer.

"Wanna a beer?" A mage whose name she learned was Cana asked. Rose shook her head. "I'm not old enough. I'm only 16." She said. "That doesn't matter!" Cana yelled happily, swinging a mug of beer around. "I'm good." Rose insisted. "Suit yourself." Cana shrugged, chugging the beer down in one gulp. Rose walked away after that, searching for some peace and quiet.

She made her way to the stairs, seeing that no one was really going up there. She was going to explore the guild. She quietly went up the steps, as to not draw attention to herself. When she made it up, she saw a women with white hair and a man with green hair. They were staring at one of the doors. "Hi. I'm Rose." Rose said, reaching a hand out to shake theirs. "I'm Mira. This is Freed." Mira said, shaking her hand. Freed shook her hand too.

"What's in there?" Rose asked, pointing to the door they had been staring at. They both winced, staring sadly at her. "One of our guild mates, Lucy." Mira said. "Oh! I know her!" Rose said, smiling. "How is she, anyway? I heard she was hurt." Rose asked, getting serious with the questions. "She will be fine as long as she's not disturbed." Freed answered. "Can I see her?" Rose asked.

"Well, Master did say only Natsu can't see her, so sure." Mira said. Rose's eyes widened. "You plan on keeping Natsu away from Lucy, his mate?" Rose asked in shock. It didn't seem possible to her. Mira winced. "I know. Seems impossible." Mira said.

Rose looked toward the door and reached out, turning the door knob.

Meanwhile, Natsu was downstairs, still trying to get to the infirmary. He started off toward it, but got distracted soon after.

"Hey! Flame-brain! Come and fight me! I want revenge for before!" Gray shouted.

"After I see Lucy!" Natsu replied. Everyone raised an eyebrow at that.

"Natsu! Wanna fight me?" Erza asked, trying to distract him.

"Let me check in on Luce first!" Natsu once again said, not wanting to leave Lucy alone.

"Salamander! Lucy isn't in the infirmary!" Gajeel shouted, drawing at excuses to keep him away.

"I can smell her, you know!" Natsu snapped, glaring at Gajeel. He didn't like him lying about Lucy's whereabouts. Gajeel gulped and bit his lip, not sure how to keep him away. Master got fed up with the excuses and lies quickly and decided to get to it and tell Natsu.

"Natsu! I can't let you see Lucy." Master told him, silencing the guild. They didn't know what was going to happen.

Natsu's warm smile fell off his face, showing a frown.

"Uh-oh." Levy whispered, watching Natsu's reaction.

Natsu's eyes turned to slits and his fists clenched in anger.

"Here we go." Gray groaned, getting ready to fight Natsu once again.

Fire crept out of Natsu's fists because of his anger.

"WHAT?" Natsu exploded.

AN: Please review! How did you like the first chapter?


	2. Chapter 2: Outburst

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**Second chapter! Whooohooo! Ok, so I'm not the best at fighting scenes, but we'll see how this goes. This chapter also feels a bit forced so please tell me what you think of it. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>GUILD HALL<p>

Natsu stood in the center of the guild, fire swirling on his fists as he glared at everyone. He swayed in his spot, almost like he couldn't believe what was happening. That he couldn't go see Lucy. That's probably exactly what caused the swaying. His shocked, unbelieving state.

No one said anything after he exploded. They didn't know what to say. How were you supposed to explain that he couldn't see the most important person in his life? Natsu wouldn't accept not getting to see her. He would not let them keep him away. There was no way he would _not_ see his Lucy. He wondered how they were going to keep him away. He didn't want to hurt them, but if they push him too far he will. And that's what they are doing. Pushing him, Natsu Dragneel, Fire Dragon Slayer, too far. Not seeing Lucy would be like not eating for him. It was a necessity which they were trying to prevent. Natsu was not going to let them continue to keep him away. He was going to see Lucy.

"You better get out of my way." Natsu hissed. A large group of the mages stood in front of the stairs to the infirmary, not letting him through.

"Natsu. Calm down." Erza tried. They needed him to agree. Willingly or not, it didn't matter. It was just important that he agreed. If he did not, they would probably have to trap him somewhere.

"I will not _calm down_." Natsu replied, narrowing his eyes as he said this slowly. He said "calm down" in such a disgusted tone, almost as if it hurt to just say the words or that he couldn't believe Erza had even suggested to calm down to him.

Freed had walked down the stairs to see what the commotion was. With his appearance, the Master was reassured that Lucy has been protected the best she can be and they will just have to keep Natsu calm. It doesn't seem that keeping Natus calm will be easy though. He may need to have Freed create a rune trap for Natsu. Master watched as Natsu's flames grew as he had his '_conversation_' with Erza. It seemed like they were having stare off. Neither blinked, refusing to give into the other.

"Natsu, this is for the best. Lucy can't be disturbed and-" Master's explanation was cut off by Natsu, who had only grew more angry at it.

"I won't disturb her!" He shouted angry, throwing his arms up into the air. Many jumped, expecting him to through fire somewhere, but no fire was thrown. Instead, water was dropped.

"Juvia is sorry but Juvia cannot watch as Natsu hurts Juvia's friends." The blue-haired water mage stated sadly. The water turned to steam in a matter of seconds because of Natsu's body heat. Natsu zeroed in on Juvia, angry at what she did. "You should _not_ have just done that." Natsu's cold voice was heard saying. Everyone flinched at the coldness, used to the warmth his voice usually had in it. This was a completely different personality. They should have expected it though, since the situation is about Lucy. Juvia took a couple steps back, afraid that Natsu was going to attack.

Natsu stepped slowly toward the frightened mage, his fire growing hotter. Juvia's body made of water started to evaporate because of the heat. "I'm getting to Lucy, no matter what." Natsu said, not stopping as he approached Juvia. It was clear he was talking to everyone though. The guild members were in shock at this Natsu. No one had the courage like Juvia to step up, but someone fought there fear anyway and stepped up.

"Stop it, Natsu!" Gray shouted, dashing forward. He tackled the Dragon Slayer, both of them falling onto the ground and rolling. Gray's cool body was mostly resistant to Natsu's, which was on fire, but he still got burned. He didn't get off and give up though. He kept rolling with the Dragon Slayer until he stopped their momentum and pinned Natsu onto the ground by his wrists. "Natsu! You'll regret hurting us! You'll cry just like you did before! Please don't let it take over you. Please!" Gray screamed right into the angered mage's face.

Natsu stared at Gray's face, shocked at what he had said. Shudders ran through his body as he tried to ignore every single instinct he had. Gray had a relieved look on his face, since Natsu was fighting against the dragon that was roaring to get out of him. It looked like Natsu was going to come back. He almost did. Natsu became still.

That was before everyone, even Natsu himself, realized that Natsu was too far gone. He had been pushed too far, and he had to see his mate.

He had to see his Lucy, _now_.

Wendy watched behind everyone as this unfolded. Tears poured down her face as she remembered what Porlyusica had told her earlier that day.

_FLASHBACK_

"It _means_ that Natsu Dragneel can _not_ come in to see her." Porlyusica told the little Sky Dragon Slayer, who just stared at her in shock. "N-Natsu... can't come see her? Why?" Wendy asked for clarification. It didn't seem right to her.

Porlyusica sighed. "The poison she was injected with could not be healed with magic, right?" Porlyusica asked, making sure Wendy was following in h shocked state. She nodded, understanding what Porlyusica had said. "Well, Lucy's magic is included in that. Her magic is trying to help heal her. The more it does, the more time it takes Lucy to heal." Porlyusica explained.

"I still don't get what this has to do with Natsu." Wendy said, confusion in her voice.

"I'm getting to that, child. Now hush!" Porlyusica stated, before continuing her explanation. "Natsu is her mate. When you are a Dragon Slayers mate, your magic power increases when the Dragon Slayer is around you. Lucy can't have her magic increase because it is still inflicting with her healing. The healing will just take longer because of this. If her magic power increases though, she may die."

Wendy gasped in horror, hands flying to cover her mouth. "Do you now understand how important this is?" Porlyusica asked. Wendy nodded, a lump in her throat preventing her from talking. She felt horrible for Lucy and for Natsu.

PRESENT

Wendy shook, still feeling at lost for what to do. Natsu was going to go berserk any second now and she had no idea to help. She didn't want to fight against the mage that was like an older brother to her. She just couldn't.

* * *

><p>IN THE INFIRMARY<p>

Rose walking into the dimly lit room, spotting the blonde mage on the last bed in the room. It was the only bed next to a window, which let sunlight into the infirmary. The light fell onto the sleeping Celestial Spirit Mage like a spotlight. Like it was drawn to her. Rose sat in a chair, right next to the bed.

"Hey Lucy. I joined the guild. I don't know if you remember, well, how could you forget me? I was the one that tried to help you guys escape. Although, I was also the one to bring you there in the first place. I'm sorry about that. I hope you can forgive me when you wake up. Anyway, I have a feeling there's about to be a big fight downstairs. I'm not going to tell you why, since it might upset you but I hope no one gets hurt. Wake up soon, ok?" Rose said as she took hold of the mage's hand. "I don't know if I have the right to wish that, but I really do." A lone tear fell down her cheek.

Rose felt guilty. If she hadn't brought Lucy to the hellhole, then this probably wouldn't have happened. Lucy probably would be sitting downstairs right now, laughing with the others. Rose doesn't really know her, but she felt like that's what Lucy would be doing.

Rose sat there quietly, staring at the blonde until she heard a loud scream. "WHAT?"

Rose continued sitting there, not wanting to get involved. She would if she had to but she believed everyone else had it covered.

"Lucy. Wake up." Rose said once more before going quiet for the rest of the time she was in there. Which wasn't long.

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><p>SECRET LOCATION<p>

A man sat staring into a lacrima. There was a fight happening in a guild that he found _very_ interesting. It seemed as thought they all ganged up on one member who was furious. The man cackled, knowing why he was furious. He watched as Natsu Dragneel was tackled by a mage that only were pants. "Is everyone in that guild a freak?" The mann questioned. The shirtless mage pinned the Dragon Slayer below him and shouted some words. The words seemed to have effected Natsu, since it looked like he was fighting against his instincts. Natsu became still, and the man realized something. "They pushed him too far!" He laughed at the stupid guild for pushing the Dragon Slayer too far.

"No matter. Just you wait Natsu Dragneel. You have yet to find out what had happened to your beloved _Luce_." He said evilly, rubbing his hands together, laughing evilly.

Servants passing heard the laughter and shuddered, wondering who was getting punished this time.

* * *

><p>GUILD HALL<p>

Natsu slowly stood up, his bangs covering his eyes. He stared at the ground so that no one could see he face. He felt scales appear under his eyes as the fangs in his mouth grew. A smirk was placed on his lips before he looked up. "Like I said, I'm getting to Lucy, not matter what." He voice was different now. It sounded like his voice was being taken over by a beast. It sounded like the words were being growled more than spoken.

His flames grew as the guild got hotter. Erza requipped into her Flame Princess Armor, knowing it would be needed to defeat the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Now, now, Erza. No need to be hasty. I won't attack you." Natsu teased, seeing this. "Why don't you try a different armor first?"

"I think this one's better for the situation." Erza said, glaring.

"Very well." Natsu said. "Does anyone else want to fight me with Erza?" Natsu was being confident, like always. Except this time, he may have a reason to be confident.

Gray stepped forward, not going to let Erza fight alone. "I'm fighting." He said in a serious voice. He put his fist in his palm, focusing his magic there. Cold air started to blow through the guild as an affect of his magic focusing.

Gajeel had also stepped forward, ready for another fight. "I want to beat Salamander up." was he reason for fighting. He let his dragon scales cover his body as Natsu laughed at his reason. "Laugh all you like. You know it will happen!" Gajeel shouted, pointing at the mage he wanted to beat up.

"Yeah, yeah." Natsu groaned, after laughing. The laughter sounded like the old Natsu, but they knew it wasn't. They knew Natsu was still serious about seeing Lucy.

**AN: Sorry this is shorter than usually (but in my defense, only about 100-200 words). This felt forced. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm not too sure about it. **


	3. Chapter 3: Explanations and Acceptance

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**Thanks for the reviews and favorites and follows! **

**Enjoy!**

GUILD HALL

Wendy had had enough. She could take the shouting that came from the angered Fire Dragon Slayer. She could take the force Gray used on him, pleading with him to calm down. She could take the confidence his voice held when he asked for a fight to get to Lucy. She could not take the actual fight. She watched as Natsu and the others got in fighting stances, ready to go at each other.

She started pushing her way through the guild members. She had to tell Natsu what was happening. Why he couldn't see Lucy. Natsu was just about ready to attack. He had been sucking in air, preparing for a breath attack. "Natsu!" Wendy shouted, running in between the Fire Mage and his target. Natsu paused, seeing the little girl he thought of as a sister run in front of him. He watched as she dropped to her knees and _pleaded_ with him to stop. "Please stop. You can't see Lucy. If you do, she... she...she might d...die." Wendy revealed, looking at him with watery eyes.

Natsu froze in his spot. He must have heard that wrong. Wendy did not just say Lucy could die if he saw her. "I... I don't believe you." Natsu stuttered. It's not that he thought she lied to him, because he knew Wendy wouldn't joke about that, but he didn't want it to be true. He didn't want to think that his presence would endanger his mate's life. "I don't believe you." He repeated again, this time his voice more hardened to show his defiance to the truth. There was just no way he could kill Lucy just by seeing her.

"Natsu. Are you really willing to risk your mate's life?" Master asked seriously. The explanation needed to be accepted by Natsu. It was the only explanation they had and it was the truth.

"It's not true! I won't hurt her by being there! She would want me there!" Natsu screamed, covering his ears with his hands. He couldn't accept it. He needed to be with Lucy.

Everyone watched as Natsu slowly broke down at the thought of not seeing Lucy. He sat on the ground and pulled his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth. "She needs me. I need her. I need to see her. She would want me to be there. She needs me. I need her. I need to see her. She would want me there." He kept mumbling these small sentences, not paying attention to the others.

"Why did it get so quiet?" Rose asked as she came down form the infirmary. She was just minding her own business when all of the shouting that usually started a fight stopped. She supposed that the fight started but she couldn't hear anything form the infirmary so she decided to go see what was happening. When she finally made it down, the pink-haired Dragon Slayer stilled, tensing a little. "Is Natsu ok?" She asked hesitantly.

"He just found out that Lucy could die if he went to see her. Though, it's kind of unsettling that he stopped moving..." Levy trailed off, staring at the Fire Mage. Rose nodded, getting an idea about the situation.

"Do you have any idea why he stopped?" She asked. Natsu slowly lifted his head up and his eyes locked on her. They looked clouded and unfocused. "And why he's staring at me?" Rose questioned, getting shivers from Natsu's stare.

"Where were you just now?" Cana asked slowly, fearing for the worst.

"In the infirmary." Rose answered shortly, never taking her eyes off Natsu. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Were you near Lucy?" Master asked. Natsu tensed even more at Lucy's name. Rose nodded, taking a step away from Natsu.

"This is bad!" Gajeel shouted and he tackled Natsu.

"Huh?!" Everyone asked at the same time, wondering why Gajeel tackled Natsu. Natsu started to fight back, trying to get free.

"She has Lucy's scent on her! He'll attack Rose because of it!" Gajeel explained, pinning Natsu to the floor. "Rose! Get out of here. Someone go with her!" He shouted as he strained to keep Natsu down.

"No! I can fight! I'll help you guys. He's my friend, just like all of you!" Rose argued, not taking a step back from Natsu, who was reaching for her, but taking a step toward him. A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"We have to get you out of here! Come on!" Mira, who had come down from the infirmary,g said seriously, taking Rose's hand and pulling her along. Rose tried not to trip on her feet as Mira pulled harshly on her arm. "Hurry!" Rose was astonished how much Mira seemed to care for her. They had just met and yet she was acting like an old friend to her.

Rose let herself be dragged.

* * *

><p>SECRET LOCATION<p>

A man stared at a lacrima in conflicted disappointment, having dropped his glass full of wine a moment before. He was broken by them. The people he considered his family. This was in one way a good thing but in another way a bad thing. This helped with his plan. He wanted to break the Fire Mage. He wanted to see the Dragon Slayer slowly lose hope and go insane from denial. Now, he was seeing it. The guild had done it for him. Although, it saddened him not to be the cause of the mental breakdown. He always thought that when Natsu Dragneel lose it, _he_ would be the cause.

He tapped his fingers on his armrest and kept is attention on the lacrima. "Hmm. This is interesting. What will you do next, Fairy Tail?" The man cackled, loving that this was playing with the minds of the members of the guild. He looked at the clock.

"Lucy will be waking up soon. Possibly even tomorrow. Then I'll see him really break down." The man laughed at the thought, saying it out loud. This excited him. It was like a game to him.

* * *

><p>GUILD HALL<p>

Natsu never stopped struggling to rid himself of the Iron Dragon Slayer, even when Rose left. The scent had overtaken him, controlling his actions. She had smelt like his mate, but wasn't her. That, in itself, was a crime to him. It angered him so much. It felt like she was teasing him. Soon, Gray took a hold of his ankles and pinned them as Gajeel pinned his wrists to the ground. A growl escaped his lips.

"Natsu. Just wait until she wakes up. Then you can see her." Master told him.

"Why? I want to see her now!" Natsu yelled, causing flames to explode out of his body. Gray was blasted backwards as Gajeel transformed his skin into iron.

"Human! Calm down! I'll explain then!" A female voice called out as she slammed the doors open. Porlyusica stood there with a determined look on her face. Natsu looked at her, unsure of whether to believe her or not. He concluded that she would know the truth since she was the healer. Her nodded at her to show he agreed, but she still waited for a bit. He took deep breaths to relieve some anger pent up inside him.

"Ok. Explain." Natsu said shortly as he tried to keep the anger from getting to him. Why couldn't he just go and see Lucy.

"Lucy can't be cured by magic. Only by healing naturally will she be cured. Unfortunately, being a mage is making the situation worse. Her magic is trying to help heal her which causes the healing process to become slower and more painful." Porlyusica explained. Natsu flinched at the explanation. Hearing "Lucy" and the word "painful" does not sit well with him.

"If you go to see her, her magic will build up and make it even more worse. You see, this poison can kill her if her magic spikes up any higher. She's already as powerful as she needs to be. She's just below the cut off point for this poison." Porlyusica told him. He tensed even more, his heart racing. She could die. If he goes to see his mate, it would be his fault that she died. He would kill himself if he did that.

"W-When do you think I would be able to see her?" Natsu asked, glancing at the stairs leading to the infirmary.

"As soon as she wakes up." Porlyusica said, face softening, seeing how this was affecting the Dragon Slayer. Natsu slumped down, depressed that he couldn't check on Lucy.

"Is she ok?" He asked softly. She better be. Porlyusica nodded an answer and started to walk to the stairs.

"Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to go heal Lucy some more." Porlyusica said.

"Do you need my help?" Wendy asked. Porlyusica shook her head. "I'm only giving her some more medicine"

Natsu slowly walked to a table and collapsed in a seat, radiating a sad aura. He let his head drop onto the table top and groaned loudly, wishing that Lucy would wake up soon, happy and healed.

No one, not even Happy, sat with him.

* * *

><p>INFIRMARY<p>

Porlyusica walked inside the infirmary, feeling a bit of magic just outside the door. _Freed must have put up some runes to keep Natsu up_ she thought as she continued to Lucy's bed. Lucy looked like she was in pain as she laid in the bed, wincing.

Porlyusica took out medicine from the cabinet she kept it in and brought it over to Lucy's bedside. "Lucy. Wake up soon for everyone." She whispered as she gently applied the medicine to the wound. The poison had turned her skin a light purple but it was slowly receding. If you look very closely, you could see the color. Her wound was almost closed, the medicine having helped with that too, making it heal faster.

Lucy seemed to have sighed in relief when she was finished. Porlyusica put the medicine on the table beside her bed and just sat there in silence.

Lucy was important to everyone. She was like a sister to Erza, Cana, Wendy, Mira, and Gray. Best friends with Levy. Like a daughter to the Master. Friends with Gajeel, Juvia, and everyone else in the guild. She was also Natsu's mate. Once he mated, he wouldn't have any other person. When she dies, if she dies first, he would be soon to follow. She was loved by everyone. Her influence on all of them is great. If she were to die, it would be hard for them to move on. They would be stuck in the past. Porlyusica continued to think about what Lucy's death would do to everyone. They would be devastated. Hell, even she, herself, would be grieving Lucy's death.

_Good thing she won't die from this_ Porlyusica thought. The wound wasn't fatal anymore. It was healing just fine. She was quite proud of the work she put into Lucy's healing. She worked fast and that probably saved Lucy's life. Unfortunately, she had no idea if Lucy's memories were in tact. She would have to find out when Lucy woke up.

"We're waiting for you, Lucy." Porlyusica whispered as she got up and left.

* * *

><p>WITH MIRA AND ROSE<p>

"Just take a shower to her her scent off you!" Mira said as she pushed Rose into her bathroom. They had went to Mira's house to get Rose away from Natsu. "Then we can go back to the guild."

"Sure, sure. Why are you keeping Natsu away from Lucy, though?" Rose asked. Mira sighed.

"If Lucy's magic gets spiked up, which can happen when her mate, Natsu, gets near her, she can die. That's because her magic is trying to heal her, which causes the healing process to become slower and more painful." Mira explained sadly.

Rose understood this, being a Dragon Slayer herself. When a Dragon Slayer gets close to their mate, both of their powers increase. This happens once the Dragon Slayer realizes who he mate is, which Natsu has realized Lucy is his. "Do you think Lucy will wake up soon?" Rose asked as she started to close the idea.

"I have no idea." Was the answer she got right before the door closed fully and she got into the shower.

_Please wake up, Lucy! Natsu needs you!_ Rose thought.

AN: How was this? Please tell me!


	4. Chapter 4: Shared Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**Is anyone else freaking out about what's happening in the manga? Seriously, that CAN'T happen. It better not happen. My worry is that it said the next chapter would be called "Lone Journey"**

**Thanks for the reviews! **

**_Italics- memories _**

**Regular- is, as you know, the story**

**Read and review! ****Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>GUILD HALL<p>

No one dared to talk to Natsu, or even sit with him. They all had the feeling that any little problem, or even just saying hello, would result in him getting angry. Why was this? He sat at a table in the corner of the guild, letting the shadows from the walls overtake him. He wasn't being his usual energetic, bouncy self. He was avoiding everyone, even Happy at the moment. Everyone could tell Natsu was worried. Every so often, he would glance up above him, knowing that the infirmary was there. Maybe that's why he chose to sit there.

Natsu himself sat alone in silence, sighing in defeat a few times. He closed his eyes, letting his happy memories before everything happened rush through his head. Their shared memories.

* * *

><p><em>Natsu chuckled as he pushed the window to her apartment open, already getting prepared for her usual reaction, which was kicking him out, literally. He was, once again, visiting his favorite Celestial Mage. When he didn't see her at first, he panicked. She was supposed to be there. He had expected to find her at her desk, writing her novel vigorously. He walked deeper into the apartment, eyes on high alert, searching for anything that moved. His ears sharpened so he would know if something made a sound. <em>

_When he heard a small splash of water, he knew where she was. The one other place he should have known to look before panicking. The bathroom. He shook his head at himself for getting so worked up as he walked back into her room. "Might as well get comfortable while she's in there." Natsu reasoned to himself. He jumped onto her bed and laid down with his heads under his head. "I wonder how long she's been in there for..." Natsu pondered, giving the bathroom door a glance. Natsu sighed, already bored by just waiting for Lucy to finish. _

_"I wish I brought Happy with me. Why didn't I?" Natsu started to talk to himself to fill the boredom. Oh, he remembered. "That's right. He wanted to stay at the guild. No idea why, though." Natsu shifted his position to lay on his side, facing the bathroom door. Now, he would see her right away. He hoped she had clothes with her inside, but why would she? It was her own house and room. Not that Natsu cared. _

_His ears perked up when he heard the draining of water from the tub. A grin appeared on his face, happy that he would get to see his nest friend. He saw the door knob turn and heard the creak of the door. She walked out wearing only a towel without noticing him. "Hey Luce!" He happy said, sitting up and waving at the blonde haired girl. Her head snapped to him. _

_Lucy was surprised to say the least, but she should have expected this. It happens so often that she should just bring clothes into the bathroom with her. "What are you doing here?" Lucy asked angrily, forgetting that she was only in a towel for the time being. She had a Fire Mage to beat up. _

_"I wanted to see you." Natsu said, not noticing the blush he had created with those five words. _

_"Couldn't you have waited until I came to the guild?" she asked, not ready to let it go. _

_"You're usually at the guild at this time so I got worried." Natsu answered. Lucy groaned, half blaming herself for this happening. "I overslept, Natsu. That happens." She told him. He nodded at her, glad that she calmed down and didn't feel the need to 'Lucy kick' him out of her apartment. _

_"Oh, and Lucy?" Natsu asked as she sat down in her desk chair. _

_"What?" She asked, turning to face him. He looked at her with a goofy grin. "You really should put some clothes on." He told her unabashed. _

_Lucy quickly scanned herself before shrieking in realization. "Get out!" She screamed as she literally kicked him out of her apartment. Maybe he thought too soon about having calmed her down, or maybe bringing up that she wasn't wearing clothes while he was in the room was what angered her once again. _

* * *

><p>Natsu chuckled slightly at the memory. That was before he knew Lucy was his mate. Before all of their adventures. It happened a few weeks after he had meet her. Just before Phantom Lord attacked and stole her away. Before they had met Gajeel and Juvia, and Wendy and Carla, who were now always in their lives.<p>

Everyone stared at Natsu, worried. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, which was new. He never thinks.

Natsu let a soft smile appear on his face, confusing everyone who were carefully watching him.

* * *

><p><em>Lucy groaned. "I can't believe we didn't get the reward. We completed the job!" She complained. Natsu grinned apologetically at her. "Sorry Luce, it's my fault." He said while rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't been thinking about the reward when he rushed into battle, which resulted in him not holding back, which caused him to burn down the building, including others around it, they were in. <em>

_"That's true!" She angrily said, rounding on him. "Next time don't destroy everything as you complete the job!" She scolded. She probably wouldn't have minded so much if she didn't need to pay her rent. She dropped to her knees. "Now what am I going to do about my rent?" She quietly asked. Natsu frowned, mad at himself for upsetting her. _

_Natsu smiled down at her and held out a hand, asking "Why don't we go on another job then, Luce?" Lucy looked up with suspecting eyes. _

_"You'll probably just destroy everything again. Maybe I should just go with Gray for one. Then again, Juvia might kill me for that..." She rambled her thoughts. Natsu's eyes widened when she said that she should go with Gray. Alone. He started to panic. He had just figured out that Lucy was his mate and now she's trying to go somewhere with someone else. If that wasn't bad enough, it was a boy she was trying to go with. _

_"No! I promise I won't destroy anything! Just come on another job with me!" Natsu said quickly, grabbing onto her shoulders. Lucy chuckled, staring straight into his eyes. "That's all I wanted to hear, Natsu." She said with a soft smile that made his heart flutter. He grinned back, glad she wasn't going with Gray. _

_"So, how about that job?" Lucy asked joyfully.  
><em>

_"Let's go pick one!" Natsu shouted, running in the direction of the guild. Lucy followed right behind him. _

* * *

><p>"What do you think he's thinking about?" Macao asked around. Everyone had a guess, and that was Lucy. "Probably about Lucy. Maybe all the happy times?" Romeo said unsurely. Mira smiled softly, glad that the depressed Dragon Slayer was distracted and a bit happier.<p>

"I wish he could see her." Levy whispered sadly. It was really taking a toll on Natsu, and it had only been an hour since they told him.

Natsu heard what everyone was saying, but didn't tell them. He focused on the memories that Lucy and he shared. The ran through his mind like movie scenes. As the memories played in his mind, they started getting worse. Happy times turned into angry or sad moments.

* * *

><p><em>Natsu grabbed onto one of the Phantom Lord's mages. He really wanted to get Gajeel, but he didn't have time for that. They captured Lucy. They took one of his nakama from him. They took his partner, best friend, a family member, from him. He was not going to let them get away with that, and he was not going to let them keep her. <em>

_"Hey you..." Natsu trailed off, letting his head catch on fire. "You and me are gonna talk." Natsu finished angrily. The mage looked at him in fear. Natsu dragged him out of the guild and down a path. "Tell me. Where is Lucy?" Natsu questioned without looking at the mage. "H-h-h-how would I know? Who is she?" The mage asked. Natsu lit him on fire, not having the patience for this. The mage screamed in pain. _

_"Say it." Natsu said shortly. The mage denied knowing where she was. "If any more of my friends' are hurt..." Natsu said as the fire got hotter. He finally turned to see the mage withering in pain, glaring at the mage. "You'll be nothing but a pile of ashes..." Natsu growled the threat out. "I never heard of the wrench!" The mage shouted. The name he had called Lucy angered him even more so his fire got hotter. "I mean, I don't know about the lady!" The mage tried to save himself. It wouldn't have worked if Natsu wasn't in a hurry. _

_"Oh, that so? Too bad. Time to make charcoal, I guess." He said, and he was planning on it. The mage didn't help him._

_"But our headquarters is up ahead. She may be there..." THe mage tried to save himself. _

_As soon as Natsu heard that, he was off. He dropped the badly burned mage and took off as fast as he could. "NATSU!" He heard after running for a mile or two. His ears perked up and he looked in the direction he heard it from to have a panic attack. Lucy was falling from the sky. She was going to crash into the ground. Natsu picked up his speed, desperate to save Lucy. _

_"Lucy!" He screamed, leaping off the ground and grabbing her. He spun so he would be on bottom and get the brunt of the landing. "You're nuts, you know that?" He asked.  
><em>

* * *

><p>Natsu glared angrily at the table, remembering Phantom Lord. That was one of the worst moments he had ever experienced. Yet, there was another that was worse. One that made him cry.<p>

Everyone saw Natsu scowling and wondered what was wrong. "Should we ask him?" Wakaba whispered. Mira shook her head. "No, let's let him be for the time being." Mira said, glancing sadly at him.

* * *

><p><em>"I don't really follow you. But who is this person that interferes?" Natsu questioned curiously. Rogue opened his closed eyes wide and angrily said "You...Lucy Heartfilia!" A dark ball of magic surrounded his hand and he pushed it toward the blonde Celestial Mage. The shadow magic transformed into a pointy sword heading straight to Lucy. <em>

_"Lucy!" Natsu called, turning to look at her. Everything moved in slow motion as Natsu tried to run to grab the sword. He was too late and only got the part behind the point. A person wearing a cloak jumped in front of Lucy. The sword hit the person, causing the hood to fall down. _

_Natsu, Wendy, Lucy, Loke, Happy, Lily and Carla all stared in horror at what happened. "H-Hey! You!" Lucy shouted, not believing what she just saw. "Lucy!" Happy yelled as he ran toward the fallen mage. Natsu shook at he stared in silence at the scene. Rogue's jaw dropped. "There are two Lucys?" He asked in confusion. _

_The Lucy who fell coughed a but. "Hold on!" Present Lucy shouted. "Lucy!" Happy screamed. "I didn't... close the portal..." The dying mage said. "I know! I would never do that!" Lucy tried to console her future self. "Why did you protect me?" Present Lucy asked sadly. _

_"You're me in the past... so if you die, I would disappear anyway." Future Lucy explained. "Dying with myself at my side... It feels weird." "It feels weird for me, too! Don't die!" Present Lucy said desperately. "H-Hey, what about Healing Magic?" Lily asked, not giving up. Wendy and Carla were shaking. Loke just stared in shock. "With a wound that deep, nothing can..." Cral trailed off, knowing they got what she meant. Wendy covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to wail out. _

_"That's okay. Enough... I never thought I would be able to see any of you again... but I did, one more time. That alone... makes me happy..." Future Lucy struggled to say, but she smiled. "Lucy... No! Don't die!" Happy said sadly. _

_"I'm not... from this age... No. I'm not from this world." Future Lucy caressed Happy's check. "The me of this world... will live on with her comrades. Don't be said." Future Lucy said as tears gathered in her eyes. "I am sad! I don't care what world you're from! I don't care what anyone says! Lucy is Lucy! You're my friend! Of course I'm sad!" Happy sobbed, saying this. Future Lucy hugged Happy to her. Natsu's teeth clenched as he watched this. _

_"Hey, show me your guild mark." Future Lucy requested to present Lucy. Lucy held out her hand with the guild mark and future Lucy covered it with her hand, tears falling from her eyes. "You... Your right hand..." Present Lucy trailed off. Natsu's mouth shook, trying not to sob. Natsu shook as he clenched his teeth, his hair covering his eyes with a shadow. _

_"I wanted to... have more... adventures..." She said, head falling, not able to keep it up anymore. Her hand fell limp onto the floor. "Protect... the future." Future Lucy said her final words. Wendy and Lucy had tears pouring out of their eyes. Happy clutched the dead mage. Loke stared sadly at his dead master, not thinking about how she was from the future. She was still Lucy. Everyone but Natsu turned to look at future Rogue, her murderer. _

_"She didn't know that she closed the portal." Rogue said. "The hell with the portal! I would never have done that! But still, you..." Lucy trailed off, not being able to say it. "That's now. But you'll close the portal several hours from now." Rogue argued. "I'm not gonna close the damn portal! You talk all this nonsense! What are you after?" Lucy fought back. _

_"The portal will be closed. It's already been decided. As long as you're alive..." Rogue said angrily. _

_"The future me said she wouldn't close it. I believe myself!" Lucy shouted at him. _

_"There is no truth in your words!" Rogue said, focusing his magic to is hand again. "Everything is dictated by destiny!" He shouted. _

_"I'll burn your destiny to ask!" Natsu growled, turning angrily and glaring at Rogue. He lit his fist catch on fire and he threw the fire toward Rogue, who blocked it with his arms at first, before being pushed back a little. _

_"I won't let anyone steal Lucy's future! I promise I will!" Natsu said. He was glaring at Rogue, but that wasn't all. _

_He was also... _

_crying. _

* * *

><p>A tear fell down Natsu's cheek as he remembered that. He couldn't believe he didn't save her. Everyone saw the tear and got worried. He never really cried, only when something terrible happened, like someone's death. Maybe he remembered someone's.<p>

Natsu clenched his teeth. He was still angry at himself for that. He brought his fist down on the table he was sitting at in anger, trying to release some. No one said anything as he got up and stalked toward the door. Natsu pushed the doors open and slammed them closed once he got out.

"Wake up soon Luce..." Natsu trailed off, another tear falling as he thought about those shared memories once again.

AN: I was planning on doing something totally different for this chapter but then I thought of this and I'm glad I did. Anyway, please review! Did you like it?


	5. Chapter 5: Awaken

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**Hey! Time for an update! I finally got to this part, too! Hope you like!**

**Read and review! Will you review for my birthday? It's real soon! **

**Enjoy!**

GUILD HALL

Everyone stared at the doors that had just slammed in silence. "He's really not taking this well..." Levy trailed off sadly. No one said anything, but the silence after meant one thing. Everyone unanimously agreed with the statement. Lucy was the most important person to the Fire Mage, and not being able to see her was tearing him apart. Someone had taken his precious treasure away for the time being. "Natsu..." Happy sadly looked on, tears brimming in his eyes.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Happy asked, hoping soon.

"I have no idea." Levy said glancing toward the infirmary. Mira and Rose, who had returned before Natsu had stormed off, sat in the corner talking. They looked serious.

"You can't keep him away. He'll go mad!" Rose said strongly. She would know because she is a Dragon Slayer herself.

"I know!" Mira said loudly, gaining the attention of everyone in the guild. She glanced up to see everyone staring and smiled apologetically. She then turned back to Rose. "I know, but Maser ordered to keep him away. I was against it from the beginning." Mira stated sadly, staring at the ground.

"Then why don't you do anything?" Rose asked angrily.

"Because Lucy could die! I don't want anything to happen to her, but for that, Natsu is going to be depressed. He'll just have to deal with it for now. Hopefully she'll wake up soon." Mira said firmly, tears rolling down her cheeks. . She had to get this point across, before Rose did something she would regret. Before Natsu went crazy from not seeing Lucy. Before anything else that's bad happens. Rose looked down at the ground, understanding.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just..." Rose didn't get to finish because Mira cut her off. "Because you understand what it's like to be without your mate, don't you?" Rose flinched at Mira's question, telling Mira that she was right. "What happened?" Mira asked kindly, hoping to get to know her newfound friend and guild mate better.

Rose shook her head, not wanting to explain everything. Mira sighed and smiled softly, understanding. "I hope you will be able to share someday. I want to get to know you better." Mira said, placing a hand on Rose's shoulder. Rose looked at her happily. "Thanks, Mira." She said, smiling warmly.

* * *

><p>WITH NATSU<p>

Natsu slowly walked toward the one place he should have avoided. _Her_ apartment. It was full of her scent, which probably would make him react badly. He should have just gone home, or maybe taken a job, but he didn't want to go too far away from the guild. She was in the guild. He needed to be close, just in case she woke up. He stopped in front of the building she lived in and looked up.

Her window had been left open. The curtains ends were softly floating out the window. He walked over and jumped up, his fingers grabbing onto the window sill and pulled himself up. Her scent was fading, since she hadn't been there in a while, but it was still strong. He dropped onto her bed, not having the energy to do anything else. He just laid their, swallowed up in anger, sadness, and regret.

He buried his head into her pillows, closing his eyes and groaning. When was she going to wake up? When was she going to be able to see her? When was she going to smile at him? Questions raced through his head as he slowly relaxed onto her bed. "Lucy." He whispered, before he let sleep take him over. Dreams of her came. Happy dreams, bad dreams, all of her.

* * *

><p>AT THE GUILD (THE NEXT DAY)<p>

Mira yawned as she unlocked the guild doors, opening for the day. She had to prepare everything for the day to come. Her mind immediately went to the blonde Celestial Spirit Mage in the infirmary once she fully opened the doors. She suppressed she should go up and check on Lucy.

She sadly walked up the stairs, wishing that the mage would be awake. That the mage would be smiling as she entered.

She opened the door, making sure she barely made a noise with the squeaky door, which was a bit hard. The door made a low squeak as it opened. She sighed and walked over to the fallen mage. She winced as she thought that. "Fallen" didn't seem right to her, it seemed too... close to death. And Lucy wouldn't die. She was sure of that. She walked over to the bed near the window, where sunlight poured into the room.

"Lucy. Wake up soon. We need you." Mira whispered softly, tears slowly dripping down. She continued to stare at the blonde, hoping something would happen. Anything.

Her staring was rewarded.

One of Lucy's eyes twitched as a sign of her waking up. Mira rushed over to the mage with wide eyes. "Lucy!" She called out in surprise, resisting the urge to shake her awake faster. Mira let her take her time in opening her eyes.

Lucy slowly sat up, trying to take in her surroundings quickly. Her eyes glanced over Mira and went on to look over the rest of the room. She recognized being in the infirmary at Fairy Tail. "Mira? What am I doing in the infirmary?" Lucy asked with a raised eyebrow. She noticed that Mira had tears brimming in her eyes as she watched Lucy carefully with a huge smile on her face. "And why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"Lucy!" Mira yelled, tackling her fellow guild mate in a hug. Lucy fell backwards onto her bed as she was smothered by Mira. "Mira! What's happening?" Lucy asked, still unsure about how she ended up in the infirmary. "You don't remember?" Mira asked with concern lacing her tone. Lucy shook her head, waiting for Mira to answer the question she had asked. Mira looked at her worriedly before sitting up straight.

"Alright. I'll explain. You were poisoned by someone, not quite sure who, but don't worry! Natsu beat him up!" Mira started,which confused Lucy even more. "Natsu!" Mira's eyes widened, as if she suddenly remembered something. "Do you mind if I step away for a second? I need to contact someone." Mira said to Lucy, already walking away without an answer. Lucy sighed as she settled down to wait.

Mira walked into the guild hall to see some people already arriving, one of them being Gray. She ran right into him. "Gray!" Mira yelled in surprise.

"Sorry, Mira. Didn't see you there." Gray smiled. He had obvious dark circles under his eyes and he seemed a little out of focus.

"Never mind that! Lucy woke up!" Mira stated, before Gray's eyes came to focus and he was off running up the infirmary stairs. Mira pouted, having not been able to ask Gray what she was going to ask. _Guess I'll contact Erza after all_ Mira thought. She walked over and grabbed one of the contact lacrimas in the back. She held it in her hand and thought of who she wanted to contact, Erza.

"Mira!" Erza's surprise and tired voice was heard through the crystal ball. "What's wrong?" She immediately asked, knowing that Mira wouldn't call unless something was happening. To Mira, it seemed as though Erza was still sleeping though. She didn't have her usual fierce stare as she talked through the lacrima.

"Before I tell you, I will have to have you tell Natsu this information as soon as you hear it. No coming to the guild first." Mira said firmly, hoping Erza would agree. Erza raised in eyebrow in confusion, but didn't ask about it.

"Alright." Erza sighed, going against her better judgement. "I'll tell Natsu before I go to the guild."

"Lucy woke up." Mira said simply, watching as Erza froze in the picture.

"I'll be right there with Natsu." Erza said after a moment and the lacrima went blank.

"Hurry, Erza." Mira said, still concerned with Lucy's memory.

* * *

><p>INFIRMARY<p>

Gray slammed the door open and raced inside, breathing heavily. "Lucy!" He shouted, seeing the Celestial Mage sitting up and looking out the window. She turned with a smile on her face. "Gray!" She yelled in happiness. Gray rushed forward, grabbing Lucy into a hug as soon as he got into arms reach. He hugged her tight, afraid to let go.

"You scared me, Lucy." He whispered to her, still holding her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Lucy replied, arms snaking around his shoulders. Lucy relaxed with his presence. This was her brother in all but blood. He would protect her and help her.

Gray sighed and let go of the girl, sitting down onto her bed. "So, how do you feel?" Gray asked as he settled down. Lucy smiled and said "I'm fine. To be honest though, I can't remember much that happened." Gray's eyes widened.

"Can you remember anything?" Gray asked Lucy.

"No, but Mira did tell me I was poisoned and saved by some guy named Natsu." Lucy said, causing Gray to sigh in relief. Then he froze. She said "some guy named Natsu". Doesn't she remember him?

"Hey, Lucy?" Gray asked slowly, dreading about asking the question. Lucy turned her attention fully on Gray. "Do you know who Natsu is?"

* * *

><p>WITH ERZA<p>

Erza rushed into Natsu's house, finding only Happy asleep. "Happy!" She shouted, forcing the blue haired exceed awake. He arouse drowsily, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. "Erza?" He asked softly through a yawn. "Where's Natsu?" She asked quickly, not saying any greeting.

"I think he stayed at Lucy's last night. Why?" Happy asked, now full awake. Erza stared at Happy for a while before smiling.

"Lucy's awake." She said simply and then she ran out of the house in direction of Lucy's house.

As Erza ran, she thought of how happy Natsu will be when he finds out this information. He can finally see his mate again. She bet he would run to the guild as soon as he heard, just like she felt like doing, but couldn't because she promised she would tell Natsu. "Natsu. You better be happy I didn't do what I wanted for once." Erza growled, forcing herself to run faster. She wanted to see Lucy.

"Natsu!" Erza shouted, slamming the door open. She found Natsu passed out in Lucy's bed, snoring. She growled and walked over, trying to shake him awake. He wouldn't wake up and she gave up on that. She thought about how to wake up the Fire Mage. She brought her hand back as far as it would go and swung, hitting him straight in the face, a resounding slap echoing through the room. Natsu bolted up after she did this. "Erza?" He asked in surprise and a little disappointment. Usually when he gets awoken by some kind of pain, its because of Lucy.

"Get up and get ready to go to the guild!" Erza demanded, walking away from the bed. Natsu sat up and looked down.

"I don't really feel like heading to the guild right now, Erza. It's just... I'm too close to her, but I can't be too far either." Natsu grid to explain. Erza's eyes softened.

"Natsu. You need to go to the guild. _Now_!" She said, not as firmly as before, but still demanded. It sounded a bit urgent to Natsu.

"Why?" Natsu asked, glancing at her in suspicion. Erza's face broke into the first real smile she had since before the mission that started this all.

"Lucy's awake." Was all Erza needed to say before Natsu was out of the house and running to the guild.

* * *

><p>AT THE GUILD<p>

"Mira! We have a problem!" Gray shouted, trying to find Mira in the sea of mages. Everyone had come early it seemed because they couldn't sleep. Mira managed to get to Gray, but was the center of attention. "What's the problem?" She asked. Gray glanced at the others, wondering if they kew Lucy was awake.

"Do they know?" he asked, quietly, hoping Mira would understand. She shook her head no, glancing at him. "Will you tell them?" She asked. He nodded, steeling himself and turning to the crowd.

"Lucy woke up this morning, and she's fine. Her memories are a bit shaky though." Gray said, glancing at Mira. Mira nodded in agreement, remembering what Lucy had asked.

"Lu-chan's awake? Can I see her?" Levy asked hopefully, eyes glittering. Gray shrugged and looked at Mira, who sighed.

"I was hoping to let Natsu be one of the first to see her. Since, you know, he was prohibited form seeing her as she slept." Mira explained, seeing them nod in understanding.

"Wait. So, what's the problem?" Gajeel asked, turning toward Gray. Gray's face turned pale and he looked at the door in fear, checking to see if he was there.

"She... She doesn't remember anything that had happened." Gray started shakily, never taking his eyes off the guild doors.

"Well, that's not too bad." Gajeel said, confused at why Gray continued to stare at the doors in fright.

"And she doesn't remember Natsu." Gray quick;y whispered, gaining silence from the guild.

"HUH?" Was heard throughout the guild as everyone stared in shock as the Ice Mage. He nodded in conferment, creating fear in everyone. No one knew how Natsu was going to react to that.

At that exact moment, Natsu Dragneel walked through the door and started toward the infirmary. "Natsu!" Gray called, being the only one not in shock. He had already went through it in the infirmary when Lucy confirmed his fears.

"Leave me alone. I need to see Lucy." Natsu growled as he stalked to the infirmary.

"But Natsu, there's something you should know!" Gray shouted, trying to hold Natsu back. Natsu just shook him off and continued.

"Tell me after I see Luce." Natsu said, tensing a bit. He made it to the infirmary door and took a deep breath before opening the door and grinning.

"Luce! You really are awake!" Natsu called out before leaping onto her bed and hugging her. Gray winced, hoping Lucy wouldn't ask that question. The question she was bound to ask, but he can still hope.

"Who are you?" Lucy asked the man who had just hugged her.

**AN: Review please. Did you like it? **


	6. Chapter 6: She Forgot

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail!

I'M SO SORRY! It's been longer than usual since I last updated! I apologize! I'll try to update sooner next time.

Please review!

Enjoy!

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><p>INFIRMARY<p>

Natsu froze with his arms still around his partner, not believing he had heard the question she just asked right. He was so confused, he only managed a combination of the words 'what' and 'uh' to form "Whauuuh?"

Lucy looked at the pink haired man in front of her like he had two heads. "Well, I've never met you. What's your name?" She asked, seeing the man's face softened as she asked.

"Good one, Luce! You had me there for a second. Like you could ever forget the Great Salamander!" Natsu said, pounding his chest with a fist proudly.

Everyone watched Natsu as he tried to process the question. It wasn't that he didn't believe her, because he did. The look in her eyes that showed suspicion and no trust told him that. She didn't have the same warmth in them like before. Natsu just didn't want to accept the fact that he had been forgotten about.

"Gray! Who is this?" Lucy turned to ask the Ice Mage when she received no answer from her question before other than she was joking. Gray winced, seeing Natsu's stare turn toward him. There seemed to be heat radiating from the Fire Dragon Slayer, but no one said anything because it didn't seem like Lucy was affected by it. In fact, she seemed to lean closer to him.

"She remembers Gray… but not me?" Natsu asked softly and slowly in thought. No one confirmed this to him.

"She is right next to you and can answer you!" Lucy said, annoyed at him. He seemed like an idiot to her. Lucy let out a giggle, making everyone wonder what was going through her head. _Pink-haired idiot_ Lucy thought, giggling a bit at it. She didn't know why she found it funny, but she did.

"This is Natsu. Do you really not remember him?" Gray asked curiously, taking a step forward only to get a glare from Natsu. Gray stopped where he was, deciding not to push Natsu at the moment. Natsu narrowed his eyes at his rival/ friend but quickly turned to looked at Lucy, who happened to be shaking her head no. Natsu's eyes lost all their warmth and fire. His smile turned into a frown in a matter of a second. His fists clenched not in anger, but in sadness. He tried to keep in the tears that threatened to drop.

"L-Lucy… doesn't remember me…?" Natsu asked slowly and cautiously. He didn't want anyone to confirm this. It would hurt too much. But he needed to know and accept the facts. His partner had no idea who the hell he was.

Natsu slowly walked toward the door with everyone staring at him. They parted to give him room to the door and Natsu swayed a bit as he walked. He seemed to be lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to where he was going.

"N-Natsu!" Levy called out, grabbing onto his shoulder. Natsu froze when he felt her hand, eyes going wide. "Lucy doesn't remember me!" Natsu shouted spinning around fiercely to look at the crowd in the infirmary. Natsu gulped as he glanced around, hoping for a denial to come from one of them. He breathed heavily as everyone remained quiet. Thoughts flew by in Natsu's head as he tried to grasp the situation he was in at the moment.

The temperature around Natsu increased a lot while he slouched over in thought. "Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. She doesn't remember me. Lucy doesn't remember. Lucy. Remembers Gray but not me? Lucy." Natsu's mutterings echoed throughout the silent room. Natsu's head slowly raised and he stared straight at the forgetful blonde. "Do you remember everyone else in this room? Can you name everyone?" Natsu asked seriously, not blinking at all.

Lucy glanced at everyone in the room and nodded. She recognized all of them in the room except for the distraught pink haired guy in front of her. "That's Levy." Lucy said, pointing to the blue haired girl who had grabbed Natsu's shoulder. "Erza." She said pointing at a red haired girl. "Mira." She said pointing to the white haired bar maid. "Happy. Carla. Jet. Droy. Juvia. Master. Lisa-" Lucy named everyone as she pointed.

"I get it! Stop!" Natsu interrupted her. It hurt too much to see this, for her to remember everyone but him. She looked at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry. I... I just..." Natsu started to say, but couldn't find any words. Natsu turned and ran out of the infirmary, slamming the door behind him. He couldn't stay there with her. Not when she didn't know him. Not when he couldn't hug her and have her hug him back. Not when he couldn't kiss her and not have her kiss back. It was too painful.

"Is he okay?" Lucy asked, staring at the closed door.

"He's... uh... not taking this very well." Gray said, looking for the right words to explain this. Lucy looked at him with questions in her eyes. Gray sighed and bit his lip. He didn't want to be the one to explain this. "He was, no is, your partner. Before you got hurt and lost some of your memories. He also considered you to be his mate."

"Mate?" Lucy asked.

"He's a Dragon Slayer. They only have one mate for life and if their mate dies, they will soon follow. He's probably hurt that you don't remember him." Gray explained.

"But... But I don't know him!" Lucy argued, confused over Gray's explanation.

Gray looked down, wondering how to tell Lucy of her missing memories. "Lucy. You knew him. He brought you to the guild. He's your partner. He made a team with you. Erza and I joined yours and Natsu's team. You're his mate. You're his best friend. You're his weakness and his strength. You're his everything." Gray told her.

Lucy still looked confused. "H-How did I lose m-my memories?" Lucy asked.

"You were poisoned." Mira stepped up and said. Lucy gasped in surprise, hand flying down to touch the healing wound on her side. It was almost closed, just a little scab left. Lucy traced the scar that was left slowly, lost in thought. "And that pink-harked guy-" Lucy started to say. "Natsu." Mira told her his name patiently. "Yeah, Natsu. He helped me? He defeated the guy that did this?" Lucy asked. Mira confirmed by nodding. Lucy smiled softly, happy that he had helped her, but also sad that she didn't remember him.

"Natsu! I promise I will remember you!" Lucy whispered too softly for anyone to hear, even the Dragon Slayers didn't hear.

_I definitely will_ Lucy thought determinedly.

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><p>GUILD HALL<p>

Everyone who had stayed out of the infirmary turned to the stairs when they heard stomping. However, once they saw the Fire Dragon Slayer angrily walking down with steam literally coming out of his ears and nose, they kept their stares off of him, afraid he would turn his anger on them. "Um... Natsu? How's Lucy?" Romeo asked, the only one confident that Natsu would not attack them, even in the state he was in. Natsu glowered at the young boy, not answering. He tensed up when Romeo had spoken, not wanting to speak to anyone. "She's fine." Natsu growled out. Everyone could sense his reluctance to talk.

"What about you, Salamader?" Gajeel, now being the only one brave enough to talk to the angry pink haired Fire Mage.

Natsu's slitted eyes landed on the Iron Dragon Slayer. "I'm fine!" He snapped, storming toward the guild doors. An iron club to the head is what stopped him from leaving. Natsu slowly got up and growled loudly, his head facing down. Gajeel calmly watched this happening while walking to stand right in front of him. The next thing anyone saw was Natsu right in front of Gajeel, punching him in the face with a flame covered hand. Gajeel fell backwards onto his back just from he strength of the punch, not to mention the addition of the fire. Right after that, Natsu stormed angrily out of the guild, leaving scorch marks on the floor where his feet stepped.

"Why'd you have to do that?" Gajeel's black exceed asked the grumbling man who was sitting up.

"He looked really stress. I was trying to get him to relieve some." Gajeel mumbled to him, glancing in the opposite direction with a small blush.

Panther Lily smiled, thinking how weird it was seeing Gajeel like that. No matter what people say, Gajeel will always help his friends, just like the rest of Fairy Tail.

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><p>OUTSIDE<p>

"We may have to wait for a bit longer." A male with a deep voice said. Even though they couldn't see what was happening in the guild, they could get a pretty good idea just from the noise from the rowdy guild. Plus, the most destructive member of the guild had just stormed outside. The member who thought of their target as important.

"Why can't we take her while he's gone? He would be the most trouble when we do try." Another man asked. The leader of the group who had spoke before this man thought about it. It couldn't hurt to try.

"Maybe we will..." He said thoughtfully.

"I agree with you. I will follow you anywhere." The final member and only girl of the group spoke to the second man who had spoken.

"Why?" The man asked, melting at the love-filled smile that was given to him from the girl.

"Because I love you, Will." The woman responded, letting her black hair fall.

"Time to start." The leader said, walking to the side of the guild. He pressed his hands to the guild wall and let them generate his magic. A dark blue orb was created on each hand and grew larger with every second. The orb looked almost bubble like and the wall of the guild seemed to be sucked inside it. As soon as the full wall was inside the growing bubble, the man pressed his hands as hard as he could to the wall, stepped back, and watched his magic happen.

The wall, along with the dark blue bubble, exploded, creating a huge hole on the side of the guild.

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><p>GUILD HALL<p>

"What's that?" Romeo asked, pointing to the dark-blue light that seemed to enveloping the wall. Everyone turned to see this. After the whole wall was covered with the bubble, it seemed as though hands were pressed against the wall because even through the bubble, everyone could see the handprints of what seemed like a man's.

"Get down!" Gajeel shouted, a second before the wall and bubble exploded, sending rubble flying into the guild, hitting a few people.

"What was that?" Gray was heard asking as everyone that was up in the infirmary came running down. Gray had a hold on Lucy's hand to make sure she was okay and safe. When they saw the damage to the guild, they grew angry.

Three mages stepped into the guild, carefully stepping around the now ruined wall that laid in pieces on the ground. "Who are you?" Erza asked them , or more like ordered them to tell her.

"We don't have to answer that." The second man said, getting Erza's attention. Her eyes widened in recognition.

"You're..." Erza trailed off at the smirk Will had on his face.

"That's right! I'm the man who almost killed her!" Will said proudly, pointing at the blonde who Gray now pushed behind him. Gray's glare was fierce and protective. He was not going to let Will even look at Lucy. "Why did you come?" Erza asked, now requipping a sword out from her endless storage of them. The mages started laughing at the question, an evil laugh that sent shivers down the Fairy Tail guild members' spines.

"We will be taking Luce now." Will said in a mocking tone. "That statement would have had a better reaction if that pink haired guy was here." Will said pouting.

"Happy go get Natsu!" Erza ordered, requipping into an armor.

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled flying out of the guild.

"Why's Natsu needed?" Lucy asked.

"Because he will protect you." Gray whispered to her, getting her eyes to widen.

"He will... protect me?"

AN: Again, I'm so sorry it took me so long! Please review.


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